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My dad was on It's in the Bag back when it was a radio show, in the booming metropolis of Ohura. It was a Big Deal for the community. Also a big deal for my mum and dad, who were very poor at the time (shepherds didn't get paid much), so the 70 pounds he won made a big difference to them.

Jeez, talk about dragging up old shite.It's in the Bag was a radio version of "Double Your Money" a British TV show fronted by the late Hughie Green, Paula Yates' father, Bob Geldof's partner (but that is another story for another long day) which had the line "Take the money or open the box". When adapted for radio in NZ it was not thought worth the money to employ a carpenter to make boxes. Selwyn had a seamstress run up some bags for the sake of the radio audience and in doing so changed the concept of the program to such an extent as to evade that annoying copyright thing.The parallels go deeper than you may think. Hughie Green went on to present a show called "Opportunity Knocks" (funnily enough, produced by Jess Yates, husband of Paula's mother, you do the math) OK, as it was never known was the precurse (sic) of Some cuntry's got talentless loons, or whatever.So, small world nothing changes blah blah blah.

It’s in the Bag was a radio version of “Double Your Money” a British TV show fronted by the late Hughie Green,

Ah! That's what I was trying to find this morning. I knew it had a box rather than a bag.

The parallels go deeper than you may think. Hughie Green went on to present a show called “Opportunity Knocks” (funnily enough, produced by Jess Yates, husband of Paula’s mother, you do the math) OK, as it was never known was the precurse (sic) of Some cuntry’s got talentless loons, or whatever.

Of, there's been talent shows forever. We had Studio One and New Faces. What's new is the manipulative reality-TV element.

1960. Maramarua Hall. Selwyn and the bag turned up. They had a very slick - and small - entourage that ran it. It was the radio version that had a sound guy, a hand waving director guy, Selwyn and the assistant whose name escapes me. All the gear was packed into one car and he was off late to the next town. He did tell us that there were people in the crowd who had been to previous shows and he recognised them. But his system of sorting the contestants meant he was able to rid most of them by hook or by crook. The hall was packed for about the three hours it took to set up sort/pick contestants, record, have half time, finish and clap frantically for the hand waving guy and wind it up. And then we waited.... waited... waited to hear the show broadcast which to a kid seemed like years.

Dear Steve B-we call lamprey/hagfish/slime-eels "kanakana" (because they dance in water - they look like swirls of silk, coming into freshwater from the sea) and we esteem them as a great delicacy...you leave them to exude their slime, kill them by severing their spinal cord, dry them for a day or 2, and then lightly smoke 'em.They are so much better, richer - and MUCH bigger! than the finest smoked Norwegian brisling.

Ah, but... my reference was intended to refer to a live specimen.The exuding of slime is a defence mechanism. When a predator tries to eat a hagfish it finds itself with a mouthful of choking slime. Not pleasant. The other interesting thing about these weird and wonderful creatures is that when they are feeding on carrion, a dead whale for instance, it will sink it's teeth into the flesh and tie itself into a knot, then it will slither trough it's own knot to gain purchase on it's meal thus tearing the flesh from the rotting carcass.Yuk. You love the strangest things Islander.;-)

And one happy little gem of knowledge emerged: Selwyn Toogood, the famous host of It’s In the Bag on radio and TV, had always been proud of his whakapapa in Ngai Tahu (I guess the freckles were a giveaway).

And he proudly mentions this in his autobiography, "Out of the Bag", though sadly he notes that his mother always wanted to keep that part of their ancestry hush-hush. "Out of the Bag" is a good read - look for it on Trade Me or at your local book fair.

I also steer clear of "Rotten Corn". As with most gourmet/cultural foods, their origin is in poverty, as in "if you could afford not to eat it you wouldn't".Examples;Snails.Frog's legs.Haggis.Tripe.Escamoles. (ant's eggs)Huhu grubs.Durian fruit.KFC.McGonads.

But I guess we will have to get used to it if National stays in power much longer.

I dont like kanga pirau either (or that other N.I delicacy, gorn-orf-shark.) And yes, there is an argument to be made that some culturally esteemed foods were originally for the poverty-stricken. However, huhu grubs, like kanakana (hagfish), were &*are* delicacies ( and importantly,especially in the old days, fat-rich foods. Like titi & other seasonally-taken birds...)